Studying Children's Experiences in Interactions With Clinicians: Identifying Methods Fit for Purpose

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare research
• Child psychology
• Qualitative research methods

Background:

• Growing emphasis on incorporating children's voices in healthcare decisions.
• Need for effective methods to capture pediatric patient perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate five common methods for accessing hospitalized children's healthcare experiences.
• To identify challenges and opportunities associated with these methods.
• To inform the development of clinical guidance for child-centered care.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized "Draw and Write" technique, sticker activity, paper-person exercise, informal interviews, and participant observation.
• Methods were assessed for ease of use, data generation capacity, and utility in understanding children's perspectives.
• Focus was on hospitalized children undergoing treatment for leukemia.

Main Results:

• Each method presented unique challenges and benefits in eliciting children's views.
• Informal interviews and participant observation offered rich qualitative data.
• "Draw and Write" and sticker activities provided accessible means for younger children.
• The paper-person exercise facilitated discussion of health professionals' roles.

Conclusions:

• A combination of methods may be most effective for comprehensive understanding of children's healthcare experiences.
• Findings provide a basis for developing practical clinical guidance to better incorporate child perspectives.
• Further research is needed to refine these methods for diverse pediatric populations.